Publicis Groupe Acquires Rokkan, a Leading US Digital Agency

Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris: FR0000130577] today announced the acquisition of 100% of Rokkan Media LLC, a full-service digital agency in New York that works with top global brands. The move follows Publicis Groupe's acquisition of luxury advertising agency AR New York on December 4, and that of Outside Line on December 13, highlighting the Groupe's strong commitment to both growth within the US market and the rapidly growing digital sector.

Founded in 2000, Rokkan - which borrows its name from the Japanese word for intuition or "sixth sense" - focuses its expertise on creating innovative campaigns with strong cross-platform appeal in e-commerce, loyalty programs, digital marketing, mobile and social media. Rokkan's core services include Strategy & Planning, User Experience, Visual Design, Technology, 3D and Motion Graphics, Marketing, Game/App Development and Emerging Media. Over the past 12 years, work by the agency's 70 New York-based employees has won nearly 100 awards from global communications events, including the Cannes Lions, Communication Arts and The Webby Awards. Advertising Age also named Rokkan among its top ten Agencies to Watch in 2012.

Rokkan will operate as an autonomous unit within Publicis Groupe, and its co-founders - CEO John Noe, Chief Experience Officer Chung Ng, and Chief Creative Officer Charles Bae - will continue to lead the agency.

The US advertising market is slated for growth of 4.3% in 2012, 3.5% in 2013, followed by 4.4% in 2014, and 4.7% in 2015, according to ZenithOptimedia's latest forecasts (December 2012). Internet adspend in the United States is forecast to grow at a rate of 18.2% in 2012, 18.1% in 2013, 18.3% in 2014, and 17.6% in 2015.

Publicis Groupe revenue derived from digital in the US has reached nearly 50%.

"This is a major stepping stone that will take Rokkan to the next level and beyond," added Rokkan co-founders John Noe, Chung Ng and Charles Bae. "We've seen a number of potential buyers over the years, but it wasn't until we met with the folks at Publicis Groupe that we found a partnership we truly believed in. Joining Publicis Groupe gives Rokkan access to resources, capabilities and knowledge to better scale, grow and service our multinational clients. Furthermore, it will help support Rokkan's aggressive plans for domestic and global growth. We're thrilled to be joining a company that believes in our culture, people and vision."